Blue White Illustrated

October 2021

Penn State Sports Magazine

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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S tanding on a slab of concrete bor- dering the edge of Camp Randall Stadium's playing surface, Penn State head coach James Franklin pa- tiently took in the question. His Nittany Lions had just opened their 2021 season with a thrilling 16-10 victory over No. 12 Wisconsin, and he had earned an opportunity to engage in some playful argumentation in the postgame news conference. "You protected a late lead, which has been a problem sometimes," a reporter began. "Can this be a psychological plus for a team over the course of a season or is every game just another game?" Franklin had formulated his response before the first sentence was even fin- ished. "I don't know if I would necessarily agree with you," he said. "We've won a bunch of games late. We've been in three New Year's Six bowl games in four years." But, the reporter protested, in previ- ous years the defense had faltered when faced with circumstances similar to those it faced in Madison: a high-profile game, a nationally ranked opponent and a precarious lead in the fourth quarter. "I get it," Franklin fired back, "but you could also say the offense, right? We shouldn't have put the defense back out there, so you can look at it from both sides." The sentiment is one Franklin under- stands well. He has built Penn State's program around four core pillars: at- titude, work ethic, competition and sacrifice. To the Nittany Lions' eighth- year coach, battles are not limited to the team's performance on the football field. He has urged his players and staff to bring the thirst for competition to every facet of their lives. That includes debate just for the sport of it, and Franklin's lighthearted moment with the media offered a brief window into a battle now on his doorstep. Boiled down, that battle is about who gets to shape the narrative of Franklin's tenure at Penn State. He has always been respectful of the media and fans, who together create an ecosystem of commentary and opinion about the program. But the most persis- tent storylines sometimes are based on assumptions. For instance, is James Franklin respon- sible for the "conservative" offensive approach that has at times befuddled fans during his tenure? Are his coordina- tors free to choose the direction of their offenses without his overrule? Is that even the dynamic Franklin exerts with his staff? Or, take the question about late-game breakdowns by the defense. It's a com- mon perception, but is it grounded in reality? Is Franklin correct to assert that the Nittany Lions' losses can't be painted with a broad brush but instead are some- thing more complex, changing on a game-by-game basis? What doesn't seem to make it to the forefront of any of those questions is the element that Franklin would probably prefer to be reshaped. He's been held responsible for many of the program's shortcomings, but how often does he get credit for its successes? And of those successes, how many are acknowledged as the leaps forward that they are in the context of the program's recent history? Without rehashing the totality of Franklin's tenure, the successes far out- weigh the setbacks. Even if the Nittany Lions have not yet reached the College Football Playoff, ap- pearances in the Rose, Fiesta, Citrus and Cotton bowls in the four years prior to last season's COVID-wracked debacle suggest that they are on the right path. Along the way, the big-game losses to Michigan and Southern Cal in 2016, Ohio State and Michigan State in 2017, Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan in 2018, and Minnesota and Ohio State in 2019 shouldn't outweigh the successes. Wisconsin was the nation's No. 6-ranked team, and the favorite, when Penn State defeated it in the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game. The follow- ing year, the Nittany Lions routed No. 19 Michigan at Beaver Stadium and pushed past No. 12 Washington in the Fiesta Bowl. What about Penn State's 2018 home win against No. 17 Iowa? And the victory at Kinnick Stadium in 2019, followed by another win against No. 16 Michigan the next week, plus the season-ending 53-39 fireworks show to top No. 15 Memphis? All of those games bolster the argument. Franklin has led Penn State out of the sanction-plagued doldrums of his first two years on the job into a position of consistent relevance among the game's strongest teams, with enough recruiting success to ensure that the program re- mains in the spotlight for the foreseeable future. The general perception may or may not match Franklin's, but in pushing back against a false narrative at Wisconsin, armed with a crucial road win in one of the nation's most daunting environ- ments, he's got more than enough am- munition to engage in the debate. Win a few more, and that competition will end in his favor. ■ Head coach James Franklin has guided the Nittany Lions to three New Year's Six bowl appearances since 2016. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER nbauer@bluewhiteonline.com HOT READ Keeping It Real

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